Playtone Setting Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' For HBO Series

As HBO prepares to unveil its epic-sized series adaptation of George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones this Sunday, the payweb has begun talks to acquire the Neil Gaiman novel American Gods to be developed into another fantasy series. The project was brought to HBO by Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and it was brought to them by Robert Richardson. The plan is for Richardson and Gaiman to write the pilot together.

Richardson is the renowned cinematographer who just completed Hugo Cabret and whose recent credits include Shutter Island, Inglourious Basterds and Kill Bill. He is a regular collaborator with directors that include Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone and has won Oscars for The Aviator and JFK. It is his first significant scripting effort. He’ll do it in collaboration with Gaiman, a fanboy god for works like The Sandman, whose script work includes Beowulf. His novels Stardust and Coraline have been turned into films, and Neil Jordan is directing an adaption of Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book.

American Gods, the 2002 book that won both the Stoker and Hugo Award among other prizes, lays out a battle between two sets of gods. One consists of the traditional gods and mythological creatures who got their power because people throughout history believed in them. They are losing steam as people’s beliefs wane and are in danger of being supplanted by a new set of gods who reflect America’s preoccupation with technological advancements and obsessions with media, celebrity, technology and drugs. The protagonist is an ex-con who becomes the traveling partner of a conman who turns out to be one of the older gods trying to recruit troops to battle the upstart deities.

Playtone just completed its run of the HBO series Big Love, and generated the miniseries The Pacific, John Adams, Band of Brothers and From The Earth To The Moon for the network.

Neil Gaiman says HBO's 'American Gods' TV series will differ from the book

Neil Gaiman has teased his plans for the planned HBO series of his novel American Gods.

The acclaimed fantasy writer confirmed earlier this year that he was working with the premium US broadcaster on a TV version of his hit novel. HBO looks to be expanding its fantasy output after the recent smash hit Game Of Thrones.

Now, Gaiman has revealed more about his plans for the drama, saying that it will not be completely faithful to the book. He told MTV News: "I'm worrying about it one episode at a time [and] one season at a time. The overall plan right now is that the first season would essentially be... the first book, with a few interesting divergences. You don't want the people who've read the book to be able to go, 'I know everything that's going to be happening.' Well, no. You know a lot more than anybody who is starting from here, but we will do things that will surprise you, too."

He added that the scope of a long-running TV series would allow him to explore the world created in his original 2001 novel. "There was always so much more plot for American Gods and... what happens in the fall-out, so we're just going to follow it along.'

American Gods portrayed a group of ancient Gods trying to compete with the secular values of modern-day America.

It had another very memorable, Gaiman-esque duo of diabolical villains, kind of like Neverwhere had. And it confirmed something spoilery about Shadow.

Starz Picks Up Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' to Series

Neil Gaiman's American Gods is officially coming to the small screen.

Starz has picked up FremantleMedia North America's adaptation of the urban fantasy novel to series, the pay cable network announced Tuesday.

The drama centers on a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of biblical and mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation for a battle with the new deities. The 2001 award-winning novel has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Michael Green (The River, Heroes) are on board as writers and showrunners. The duo will also executive produce, along with FremantleMedia North America's Craig Cegielski and Stefanie Berk and Gaiman. Starz vp original programming Ken Segna will oversee for the cabler, which will retain all network pay TV and SVOD rights to the project. FremantleMedia will distribute the series worldwide.

The project previously was in development with a different creative team at HBO, which passed on it. Start of production is dependent on casting the lead role of Shadow Moon.

“Starz is committed to bring American Gods to its legions of fans," said Starz CEO Chris Albrecht. "With our partners at FremantleMedia and with Bryan, Michael and Neil guiding the project, we hope to create a series that honors the book and does right by the fans, who have been casting it in their minds for years. The search for Shadow begins today!”

Added Gaiman: "I am thrilled, ‎scared, delighted, nervous and a ball of glorious anticipation. The team that is going to bring the world of American Gods to the screen has been assembled like the master criminals in a caper movie: I'm relieved and confident that my baby is in good hands. Now we finally move to the exciting business that fans have been doing for the last dozen years: casting our Shadow, our Wednesday, our Laura ..."

At Starz, American God joins a roster of original scripted dramas that currently includes Black Sails, Da Vinci's Demons, Flesh and Bone, The Missing, Outlander and Power. The cabler has also the upcoming drama The One Percent from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman).

Neil Gaiman's American Gods gets poster, premiere date
POSTED ON FEBRUARY 23, 2017 AT 12:58PM EST



Starz’ intriguing fantasy drama American Gods now has a premiere date — and oh, hey, there’s now a poster, too.

The drama from writer-producer Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) adapting author Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed fantasy novel will debut Sunday, April 30.

For the uninitiated: “American Gods posits a different kind of war brewing—one between Old Gods and New. The traditional Old Gods, with mythological roots from around the world, fear irrelevance as their believers die off or are seduced by the money, technology, and celebrity offered by the New Gods. Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) is an ex-con who, left adrift by the recent death of his wife, becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to conman Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). But in truth, Mr. Wednesday is a powerful old deity, on a cross-country mission to build an army and reclaim his lost glory.”

Fans of Game of Thrones likely perked up their ears at that “Old Gods and New” description, but we expect this to be a rather different kind of premium cable fantasy. Expect Gods to get a world premiere at SXSW festival next month.